1. Field of Invention
This invention is related to clay target shotgun shooting learning, games and competition.
In Particular it Relates to:
(a) Operation support systems composed of devices that provide functionality for shotgun shooting learning, games and competition. The Movable Operation Support System, presented in this invention is composed of a mobile support device for a multi-target release control panel, a portable safety screen, a mutable shooting station indicator and a release cable assembly.
2. Description of Prior Art
Clay target shotgun games were invented with the purpose of imitating small game hunting. These games use an operation support system composed of: a number of clay target throwing machines, clay target release mechanisms, a number of shooting stations, a number of constructions and a number of safety cages. These elements of the operation support system used in the simplest game, such as American Trap to the most complex, such as Sporting Clays, are in general immobile and of a fixed nature. In some shotgun shooting games the clay target throwing machines are placed in permanent buildings, such as American Skeet, American Trap, and Bunker.
For all these games, the shooting stations position is predetermined and fixed, which requires that the shooting happen from the same location every time, such as in American Skeet, American Trap, Bunker, 5 Stand and Sporting Clays. Some games use constructions and permanent safety cages, built on shooting stations, which further restricts the target presentations available for the shooter, such as 5 Stand and Sporting Clays.
The clay target release control mechanism, single or multi target, for most of the shotgun shooting games is placed in a central and fixed position. Due to the immobility of the target release control mechanism, course builders are forced to put the shooting stations close to one another, in order for the operator of the game to hear the shooter's calls for target(s), such as in American Trap, 5 Stand. In other instances, an intermediary person is used to facilitate the communication between the shooter(s) and the game operator. This breaks the flow of the game and can produce a lot of confusion, such as in FITASC.
The above description highlights the fixed nature of the components of the operation support systems of these games. Due to this characteristic, clay targets presentations are similar and predictable and the games become routine and boring.
The games that provide more variety of target presentations also use a larger area of land, a greater number of target throwing machines and constructions, such as towers, shooting stations, safety cages, which raise the cost of operation, maintenance and in the end the cost of playing the game, such as FITASC, Sporting Clays, 5 Stand.
The course of some of the games is placed in wooded areas, thus the other shooters and the public cannot follow the competition entirely due to the low visibility of the clay targets presentations, such as Sporting Clays, FITASC.